You’re standing in the basement waiting for a friend, who is following you down the stairs. Missing a step, your friend reaches for the railing, which breaks away from the wall. This will not end well for your friend, who may be seriously injured or worse; and it may not end well for you, because of the law suit and liability claim that will follow, and the friendship that will almost certainly end.

This isn’t an article about the importance of having adequate insurance; it’s about the importance of having secure railings on your stairs.

Fire safety probably isn’t high on the list of concerns for buyers when they purchase a home. But the statistics indicate that it should be. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), in the United States:

Most fire-related deaths (more than 80 percent of them last year) occur in residences.

More than 4,000 people die and 25,000 are injured in fires every year.

If we were writing a Steven King-style horror movie, it might begin with a real estate broker discussing all the attractive features of a new home. After noting the “brilliant design,” the high ceilings, state-of-the art kitchen and the exciting architectural details, the broker happily, assures the buyer, “The house is fully compliant with the building code, so you can be confident that it has no structural defects and that the construction quality is superb.” Cue the eerie music and note the black storm clouds forming in the sky.

You have heard of radon. Perhaps you have tested your home or the home you intended to buy for the presence of radon gas. If so, when you received the results, did you take any action? Did you install a mitigation pump or even refuse to purchase the home?

Is radon risk real? There is a wealth of information out there. Let’s review some facts. Let’s look at what leading agencies are saying.

What is a retaining wall? To retain, according to Webster’s Dictionary, means “to hold secure or intact.” A retaining wall, then, holds something “secure or intact.” Typically, as it matters to homeowners, the “something” is soil on a slope or at a higher elevation that, if left on its own, will not remain “secure and intact.”

Retaining walls come in many shapes, sizes and materials. This issue of YOUR HOME will examine a few of them.

Why Retaining Walls?

Have you ever looked around your property to see if you have retaining walls?

In the wake of the damage and flooding of Hurricane Sandy, Criterium Engineers encourages residents, homeowners, condo/apartment owners, and commercial property owners to have a thorough inspection, especially as winter advances.

Criterium Engineers are assessing the clean up for Hurricane Sandy. President of Criterium Engineers, Alan Mooney, P.E.says the devastation is still a shock but cautions commercial and residential property owners to consistently document damage as much as possible.

The following information has been compiled from several credible sources including the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).While for many years there have been two levels of fire protection available for your home, now there are three!

Feeling safe at home is important. While some crime statistics are declining, media coverage of acts of violence and vandalism increases our concerns about the safety of our families and ourselves. Busy families with chaotic schedules add to the concern as one may be returning home alone, late at night.

Use this as a guide as you check your home for safety measures.Boxes marked “No” indicate areas where you could take action to improve your home’s security.These are just some of the steps you can take to decrease the likelihood that you or your home is targeted.

ENERGY STAR is a program first introduced by the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA) in 1992. It is designed to save energy. While many people relate the name to the energy-efficient performance of individual appliances, lighting and equipment (heating, cooling and water heating), the ENERGY STAR program actually is designed to rate the performance of an entire home.

Is it modular, manufactured or mobile? Or…is it pre-cut, pre-fab or panelized? Or…is it site built or stick built? Or…is it a trailer?

And what regulations apply, if any? Previously, we discussed building codes and addressed some common myths and misunderstandings. Building codes, when they do exist, apply primarily to homes built on-site. But there are other types of homes to consider as well.

Since September 11, 2001, we have become a much more security-conscious nation. We expect better lighting in parking lots and walkways, prefer living in communities with controlled access, and lock our cars and houses more frequently. And we are installing security systems at a record-breaking rate. Companies installing security systems have been one of the fastestgrowing types of businesses in recent years. That’s probably a good thing.

It's not that hard, really!! If you have an existing home and want to reduce your energy bills, here are eight ways to do that. They are simple and basic because that's what energy saving is – simple and basic. If you read the latest Green Building guidelines published by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), you will find that building an energy-efficient home is a very big part of getting a Green Building rating.

Water – it’s as important to our survival as air. We assume there is an unlimited supply of quality water, or maybe we just never really think much about it; it’s just there when we turn on the faucet.

But we can’t take it for granted. The supply of quality water in our world is limited, and we should take that seriously.

Water — it's as important to our survival as air. We assume there is an unlimited supply of quality water, or maybe we just never really think much about it; it's just there when we turn on the faucet.

But we can't take it for granted: the supply of quality water in our world is limited and we should take that seriously.

From the Blog

In an existing home, we’re not always sure how the foundation perimeter was completed because it is not visual, unless of course we begin digging. Uhg! Acquiring the “as built” plans of your home from the town is always a good idea and are usually readily available from your town office. The "as built" plans will show what the builder ultimately completed on your property, most times. Either way, if you have water in your basement, digging around a foundation, an expensive undertaking (and backbreaking) is not necessarily a required first step to try to solve the problem.